The present application relates to methods and devices for performing measurements with optical coherence tomographic techniques, and in some instances particularly for detecting analytes using optical coherence tomography.
Optical coherence tomography (herein “OCT”) is an optical imaging technique that has shown great promise for use in many applications such as glucose monitoring. In this sensor modality, the high depth resolution of this technique is able to measure, with a high degree of accuracy, the scattering properties of a subject's tissue (e.g., the skin). These scattering properties can be sensitive to the changes in analyte levels in a subject's tissue. e.g., blood glucose levels in a subject. Thus, changes in the OCT signal can be correlated with changes in the analyte levels and thus serve as a prospective predictor of changes in that subject's analyte levels.
While OCT-based devices and techniques have shown promise in detecting analytes such as glucose, improvements are still needed. For instance, improvements in the speed and ease with which such techniques can be applied could help commercial acceptability of such devices. Accordingly, a need persists to provide improved OCT devices and techniques, which can provide accelerated estimates of analyte levels in a subject's tissue in an easy to use and reliable manner.